Argentina, don't make me cry for you.

Two weeks ago I published an article covering Santiago Maldonado's unfortunate death. A LinkedIn connection had requested that I follow-up on my previous articles, as there had been recent developments in the Santiago case. In a sad turn of events, his body was recovered roughly 80 days after his disappearance.

It is always a tragedy to hear about the loss of human life, even more so when that loss was preventable. Yet I always find it heartbreaking when the person in question is a Human Rights demonstrator. Santiago's safety was placed in harm's way as a direct result of an executive decision to deploy the National Gendarmerie. Almost 3 months after the raid, his body was recovered.

The National Gendarmerie, an infantry force with military training, adjunct to Argentina's Army, responds to the Commander-in-Chief of Argentina's armed forces. In Argentina, this person is both the Head of state and Head of government. In other words, the President.

Security forces are legally bound to protect people, they are not supposed to put them in danger, yet the Gendarmerie initiated a raid following orders directly from its chain of command. The raid was to address demonstrators in a picket line over a national highway. The government forces were equipped with riot gear and shotguns, with rubber ammunition.

Santiago was a 28 year old man, he had his entire life ahead of him, along with a heart big enough to care about Indigenous Rights. He was not armed, he posed no threat to public safety, he had no military training, he was only a tattoo artist in a picket line.

As a result of the raid, he disappeared for almost 3 months, to be later found dead in an icy river, in very close proximity of the raid (less than 1,000 feet). He was found in an area that had previously been combed, making his body's appearance suspicious. Initial examinations suggest there was no evidence of violence involved. Yet it would not be the first time in the last half century that Argentinians in their late 20's disappear, to later be found drowned without evidence of violence.

Argentina's government decided to deploy a military force to deal with a picket line. Yes, a military force to deal with a picket line. It would seem as if government officials are not required to show interest in the demands of its constituents. These days, asking a senior public official to listen to social complaints is something that is not expected. For some, it is seen as an act of weakness. They would rather see a raid that endangers demonstrators, something that a few consider democratic or even civilized.

Any chance they could have used Police negotiators?

Police negotiators are professionals trained to defuse situations, not escalate them. They are black belts in dialog. They do not wear riot gear, becoming magnets for stones. They are dressed as civilians and are trained to listen, understand and achieve a positive psychological response to their actions, not only in how the talk, but also through their body language. People may think they only exist in Hollywood movies, but they are very real.

I have to assume police negotiators must be on holidays in Argentina, or they must all have been fired. As the government has implemented an aggressive economic tightening plan that aims to make as many public employees as possible redundant. It is likely that this is the doing of some "bright bureaucrat" who thought police negotiators are futile. Far from it, they are mission critical.

The use of force must always be considered as the last resort. This is the case for British jails or in Eastern European territorial disputes.

The first resort is negotiation. Why would the last resort in British jails or Eastern European territorial conflicts be the first resort in Argentinian streets?

The use of force is seldom harmless and always carries a direct or indirect cost to society. Santiago's death is yet to be determined as one of the two, yet the responsibility is clear.

Argentina's authorities have the legal obligation to consider the safety of the public, including demonstrators. Even if Santiago drowned accidentally, the decision to deploy a military raid in the proximity of a cold river should have considered that risk.

Clearly it did not do so. Can that change? Will that change?

Insensitivity

It is unfortunate when people find ways to justify unnecessary violence, while considering themselves "decent, civilized and patriotic". Far from it, they are covertly being as disgraceful as they can possibly be, towards both their fellow countrymen and to the reputation of their nation.

While some are not foolish enough to justify Santiago's death, they become at odds with their political views, so they attempt to find ways to blame the victim for his death. This notion of "every man for himself" where the government has no responsibility over public safety, is ridiculous. Argentina is in the far south, but it does not need to be the wild west.

To these people, it would seem there is more patriotism, courage and honor in couch surfing, while binging a Netflix series, than standing for the rights of minorities in their society.

These people can comfortably watch Gladiator, Braveheart or Dances with Wolves, in their warm homes (they can afford the 400% increase in heating costs), while shedding a tear for an actor who pretends to sacrifice for the interest of an oppressed minority. But if you ask them to consider a young man who had empathy and audacity to stand in a picket line, in the cold Patagonia, they will turn a blind eye.

To these people, heroes are the ones you watch in Hollywood movies. Beautiful actors with incredible super-powers, who make millions, with their impeccable white smiles, fancy masks, while pretending to be immortal. The notion of an average Joe, who willingly decides to stand in a picket line, in the defense of a powerless minority, for nothing more than fraternity and equality, that is not a hero for them.

If this logic were always true, the entire American continent would still be the colony of some European Kingdom. The Liberators of Latin America would have never existed. Our Central Park would be missing two beautiful statues, to instead commemorate some wealthy spoiled heir to a European tyranny.

Of course, it would be a huge golden statue of a noble Caucasian aristocrat, blue-eyed, gentile, heterosexual, thoroughly shaved, fashionable and perfectly abled man, just like a few of us, but not the overwhelming majority in the American continent. Our own George Washington, with his prosthetic teeth, would be considered a nobody. So would Jose de San Martin or Simon Bolivar.

But what about their ideals? Who would then be the standard bearer for empathy, equality and justice?

Do we really want a world where the people who would decide to stand for the poor, needy and refugees, or even those that live as such in their own land, are considered criminals? We all know laws are written through the power of lobby, but is it necessary to rub it in their faces?

How much land can a single wealthy man own in Argentina? Does the country have enough space for such ridiculous ambitions? And even if it did, does it really need to oppress those whose land has been taken?

What about Argentina's laws? Doesn't its Constitution's Preamble guarantee the promotion of general welfare? Is general welfare promoted deploying a raid in response to the claims of a minority? Is it done by raising public services by up to 500%, while granting tax cuts to the mining and agriculture industries?

Whose welfare is that meant to promote, general or particular welfare?

Is the taste of a rubber baton and a riot shield the best deal Argentina's government can offer its oppressed people?

Renowned organizations, such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Organization of American States, have been extremely clear in their concern for Santiago Maldonado. They could not care less if he wore a mask or if he were less fashionable looking.

There is an alarming portion of Argentina's society which is becoming accustomed to being insensitive. The world is taking note of it, just as it did four decades ago.

The electorate has gone as far as electing a legislator which made a deplorable joke on live television about Santiago's death, hours before her election. Yet those very same supporters will later suggest that the opposition is responsible for politicizing Santiago's death. As if the policies to deal with political demonstrators had nothing to do with politics. Truly ludicrous.

Politics, as defined by the Greeks, is the process of making decisions that apply to members of a group, a people or a society. The decision to deploy a military raid in response to a picket line is a political decision. Santiago's death is a political issue as a direct consequence of that decision. It is not a laughing matter, as the elected congresswoman would have you believe.

This brainwashing is an accomplishment of the Corporate Media, who sold the representative as the standard bearer in a crusade against corruption. A significant portion of the electorate supported her knowing full well that she had publicly declared her current partners as thieves and corrupts, while also stating on live TV that they were extremely incompetent and stupid. She was even generous enough to communicate her ideas in a language which the rest of the world could understand, yet it seems some Argentinians did not get it.

Where was she when the Panama Papers investigation broke?

Where was she when the government attempted to condone millions in debt to the state by a company owned by the President?

Where was she when the President decided to issue an executive order, changing a law allowing his family to legally launder millions of undeclared wealth? In total, over $130 million have been laundered by the families of government officials.

Is she at least concerned how that undeclared wealth was generated? No, she is not.

Her transparency, honesty and ethics only apply to her political opponents. They never apply to the people she supports or surrounds herself with. These "principles" are only used when convenient, yet they are ignored when they are broken by people that surround her.

This is the hypocrisy Mr. Raul Alfonsin used to describe her. Mr. Raul Alfonsin was the first modern democratic President of Argentina, after a dark period of dictatorship. He was another modern hero of Argentina. He had to deal with the worst demons in Argentina's history, yet he called the congresswoman the worst enemy you could ask for. If this did not concern the electorate, it is likely that nothing will.

The congresswoman's partner, the President, has over 214 legal accusations against him, yet they are both portrayed by the Corporate Media as crusaders against corruption.

As there is no risk the President can interfere in the proceedings against him, he can serve freely. Yet the same cannot be said about former officials, who can get arrested and detained under that premise, while being investigated. Hypocrisy has not limits for those governed by hypocrites, that's for sure.

However, what about the loss of life?

Was the use of force the only resource available to the Commander-in-Chief?

Was it not possible to listen to Santiago Maldonado and understand his concerns?

Is this how Argentina's government dialogues with the people it does not agree with?

It does not take a genius to understand who is responsible for Santiago's death.

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds" Albert Einstein

The Victims

It is beneath repulsive to see people criminalize victims for acting in a way which is normal, let alone honorable. Far too often, insensitive people will blame women for how they were dressed, after they were raped or verbally abused. It is exactly like suggesting that verbal abuse to women is OK.

There should be no mistake, verbal or physical violence should not be tolerated. Laws and policies must be designed to address violence which constitutes a threat to public safety. That force, when exercised by the government, must not only be the last resort, but must also be proportional to the threat, taking public safety into consideration, including the safety of demonstrators.

Furthermore, criminalizing victims should not be tolerated. If a victim has paid the ultimate price, it is deplorable to attack his honor, memory or family. Unfortunately, this situation is also at the core of this case.

Santiago Maldonado was not a threat to public safety. He was demonstrating as a gesture of sympathy towards a minority which has been historically oppressed, throughout the entire continent. While our Canadian neighbors are willing to admit they have dealt with the problem incorrectly, our Latin American ones seem to be a couple of centuries behind.

The continued abuse

Not only Santiago paid the ultimate price for his empathy and audacity, but his family has to deal with constant abuse orchestrated by groups which harass them on a daily basis. They make nasty phone calls, leave horrible messages, make threats, along with tasteless comments on social networks, while boycotting their lives.

It would seem that the abuse is now institutionalized by third party service providers, who harass the victim's family and anyone who supports them. They hide in the shadows, with armies of trolls who sign non-disclosure agreements, while behaving in the most indecent, antisocial manner possible. Indeed, shameful.

While the above takes place, the government conveniently turns a blind eye. What can you expect when even the Justice Secretary goes as far as lying about having conversations with the family of the victim?

As if this were not deplorable enough, the Security Minister pledged to protect the Gendarmerie no matter the cost. She was later instructed to keep her mouth shut, but that did not prevent her from sharing "likes" on social networks with the tweets from her alt-right heroes. This while Santiago Maldonado's body had been recovered. And her public statements? Silence.

But just how low can Argentina's government go?

An Education Minister who takes pride for the arrest of youths, checked.

A Congresswoman who chuckles on live television after attempting to joke about Santiago's death, checked.

A Senior Government Official who suggests that catcalling is completely OK, checked.

What's next? Seriously, what line are they not willing to cross?

The nasty basket

As per my previous article, I must thank the few which have questioned my motives and rights to an opinion on this matter, as they have only encouraged me to keep writing about Santiago. Even though there might be one disgraceful born every minute, I am glad to have noticed the many caring people which have supported my articles. They keep growing by the hour. I am honored and grateful to count with their support, yet they are not the subject of this chapter.

This chapter is for those which a great politician once called "basket of deplorables".

I have stumbled across a few public comments which were both proof of legal ignorance and lack of sensitivity, yet there were a handful which were flat out deplorable.

There was one person, who not only shared his nationality with the victim, but also his first name, while being incredibly insensitive and flat out ignorant of legal concepts. His common sense, decency and arguments were up to par with his grammatical skills, poor and flawed.

Then there was the young linguist, who currently resides as a northern neighbor. A young lady from Patagonia bearing a name resembling a genius. She admired one of America's brightest intellectuals, provided he would only focus on writing about linguistics instead of caring for people. She also claimed to be a victim, yet showed absolutely no regard for Santiago. Coincidentally, there was another young lady who was her namesake, that publicly claimed Christians were paid for their beliefs, while attempting to justify Santiago's death. Ridiculous.

That makes 3. However, there was a private message which crossed yet another line, going way too far. This person wrote me a few days after the article was published. He kept visiting my profile, as if expecting a response, so I have decided to give it to him.

It is flabbergasting to see the flawed arguments from a professional educated by one of Latin America's most prestigious academic institutions, which happens to be both public and completely free, the University of Buenos Aires. A person of South European heritage (as per his last name), who I must assume has little to no empathy for indigenous rights, perhaps an avid Netflix consumer. A person holding a Senior role in a professional organization. The only silver lining being that he is not a lawyer, but he is a finance graduate. This leads me to assume that he did not get enough history and law exposure in his curricula.

He too demonstrated to have difficulties with the English language (which is completely acceptable), but he struggled with notions which should be at the core for a person of his age, something that I found truly unacceptable.

You can find his message below:

My response

I have decided to share the response publicly, while keeping the identity of the person confidential. I have heard there is greatness in mercy, even when it is undeserved.

The reason is simple, this person most surely has a family who do not deserve to suffer the consequences of his actions. People are entitled to have a moment of stupidity, but there should always be regard for the safety of the innocent, even if they are not directly involved. In essence, I am doing to this protestor what the Government should have done with Santiago. I will listen and respond, respectfully and professionally, while protecting the physical and mental integrity of the person making the claim. Please note that I am not equating Santiago to this person, that would be foolish.

So I will give this person a public pass, hoping that his conscious does the work for me.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. X,

I have lived and worked in Europe in the legal profession. Trust me, I know exactly what fascism is.

In addition, I will have you know that my relatives fought against fascists in Europe.

Do you know what fascist people have in common?

They have negative opinions about social issues without being able to support them, while also attempting to suppress the opinions of others.

Please note that LinkedIn is by definition a social network for professionals. This means it is a place where professionals can cover social issues, including law, economy, public governance, politics, etc.

In addition, I am an American citizen, on American soil, with a constitutional right to express my opinions freely, protected by the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution.

LinkedIn is an American platform, on American servers, owned by an American corporation. At the very least, I have just as much of a right as anyone to express my opinions freely. You may not like it, but that is entirely your problem.

I would ask that your next comment is written publicly, so you can get a first-hand taste of how an educated audience responds to a fascist.

Sincerely, Charles

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Conclusion:

Santiago Maldonado is a fallen hero, who did not hesitate to show empathy towards the oppressed, the powerless, the forgotten. He did not NEED to do it, he did not HAVE to do it, but he must have felt it as an obligation he could not walk away from.

Why else would anyone choose to stand in a picket line in cold Patagonia?

He knew why.

It was not about money and it was certainly not about fame. My best guess is that he felt empathy with the oppressed and considered it was the just thing to do.

He was not a Hollywood actor, he was not armed and he was not a threat to public safety. If anything, the world is now a more dangerous place without him.

Nothing can justify his death. Everything else is a miserable excuse, attempting to protect an incompetent government. People who are thieves, extremely incompetent and stupid, should be held responsible for their actions and decisions. Otherwise, the consequences are likely to continue being tragedies for the innocent.

Santiago's family is owed respect and reparations. They must be protected, not harassed. If anything, the government should compensate them for their loss, calling off the vicious hounds which were released upon them. If a new highway in Patagonia is missing a name, they already have it. If they wish to continue taking billions in debt (billions, with a "B"), they might as well use a couple of thousands to compensate and provide care for the victims.

This is not a matter of political affiliation, it is not about liberal versus conservative views. This is about common decency, civility and respect.

Even if you are among those who support Argentina's current government, you should consider voicing your concern about these events. There must be reparations.

Those who choose to turn a blind eye will eventually find themselves living in a society they will no longer recognize. They will be taking a journey to a dark past, a past that their parents may have also ignored. They will be choosing to live in a permanent Halloween and it will be a journey from which there is never a harmless return.

Hopefully, it is still not too late.

It has long been said that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

This political idea is unfair, incomplete and obsolete.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men and women to do nothing.

Shares, likes and comments are welcome. Eppur si muove.

To the supporters:

I truly appreciate your kind words and messages. Each and every single one of you is noticed. I am doing my best to answer your messages, but since you've grown in numbers so fast, I cannot always keep up. Yet another area of your life where you will need to practice patience, my apologies in advance.

If English is not your mother tongue, it does not matter. Please try your best to write in English. It will help me avoid misunderstandings. You do not need to be perfect, but you should certainly proofread.

Keep sharing my articles. You do not need to share them publicly, you can also do it privately. Clicking "share" and later "share as message" will only disclose your identity with the receiver. Make sure you distribute it within your circle of friends, family and colleagues, provided it does not generate you any trouble or inconvenience.

You can also share links, which you can find at the end of this article.

Many thanks for your support.

About the Photographs:

Truly worth more than a thousand words. Credit must be served where it is due, yet I am sure to be in debt. I am grateful for the images of this professional photographer, who not only has a pair, but also a great eye together with a brave heart. The opening photograph of this article is a testament to his courage. It is chilling yet mesmerizing, as you get a glimpse of how Santiago may have felt.

About the Author:

An academic in his late 60's, who has dedicated most of his life to education. A historian that knows that history repeats itself, and each time it does, the price goes up. A romantic with a soft heart, but an unwavering voice. An American man in love with a beautiful Argentinian woman.

A traveler, who has seen the world and been to Argentina on at least a dozen occasions, in his search for a new home. A professional recruiter, who is able to find the perfect person for that crucial job. A friendly neighbor, who is always willing to help. A God-fearing man, who respects all religions as much as his own. A pacifist, who prays for peace, but knows that some things are worth fighting for.

A Professor of Law, who is not shy to have a heated debate, under the common rules of respect and within the boundaries of truth. An analyst, whose opinions are based on facts. An experienced man, who wishes to leave a better world than the one he found.

A person who welcomes your opinion, even if different from his own.

However, please remember that the 1st Amendment of United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of speech. This not only applies to social networks, but also professional networks, such as LinkedIn.

If you show civility and sensitivity in your comments, you shall receive it in spades.

Do not forget that there are limits to a civilized discussion. You do not need to be a genius to know that.

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." Albert Einstein

About the Country:

Argentina has without doubt some of the most amazing landscapes in the world, from the glaciers in Patagonia to the falls in Iguazu, from the height of the Andes to the Atlantic coast, there is something amazing for everyone to see. It is a country with all climates, impressive wildlife and breathtaking sceneries. When it comes to wines, it is world-class. And did I mention the beef ? Incredible. People are extremely friendly, they love to talk and are generally wearing a smile. They are highly educated, extremely opinionated, and everyone has the courage to speak English to help you with anything. It is like taking a trip to Spain and Italy at the same time, but with a Latin American warmth you will find nowhere else. Ultimately, it is a country condemned to success, yet that success is on vacations abroad. If you have the chance to go there, do it.

Links to previous articles:

A huge loss for Argentina:

www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/huge-loss-argentina-charles-mccarthy/

The Pope vs. the President:

www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/pope-vs-president-charles-mccarthy/

How do you imagine Argentina in 5 years?:

www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/how-do-you-imagine-argentina-5-years-charles-mccarthy/

Difference between Canada and Argentina:

www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/differences-between-canada-argentina-charles-mccarthy/

Argentina to repeat 2016 results in 2017. Results may go unnoticed:

www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/argentina-repeat-2016-results-2017-meager-may-charles-mccarthy/